


Parents To Avoid

by Azazeal



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Ambiguous-Gender Frisk, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, Dead Parents, Gen, Non-Traditional Families, PTA Sans, Past Abuse, Past Substance Abuse, Post-Pacifist Route, Punk Rock, Reader is male, Reader-Insert, only sort of an insert because actual personality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-16
Packaged: 2018-05-24 01:39:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6136888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azazeal/pseuds/Azazeal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the death of your parents, it fell upon your shoulders to care for your severely autistic baby brother. You've got your own set of issues- between complicated feelings about your parents, juggling work with parenting, a trip to the shrink long overdue, and a pta that you really wish you could avoid, the re-emergence of monsters is really the last thing on your mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Chapter Where You Bike Harder Than You Ever Have

**Author's Note:**

> I had an idea for a reader-based story set in that wonderful pta au. I noticed that my basic premise had already been done to varying degrees, so I thought to give the reader insert a slightly more robust personality of their own. Let's see how this works out.
> 
> Also, relationships will not be the focus of this, even if they do appear.

"Son of a  _bitch."_

You pedaled your bike down the road as fast as you were physically capable. Which, luckily for you (and not so much for the passerby you were weaving in and out of), was a speed that could only be described as irresponsible. Your knees and elbows were littered with scars from such endeavors during your youth, but you didn't have time to worry about yourself at the moment. You were on route to being late for the PTA meeting, and from the tone of the lady who called to inform you of the time of said meeting, you had a feeling that being late for your first one would not be received kindly.

"Of all the fucking days for her to be late, this had to be the one," you muttered to yourself as you swerved around a corner, barely dodging a couple of teenagers holding hands as they made their way home. To be fair, it wasn't Aunt Clara's fault. She couldn't afford a car (not that you could either), and the bus had been running late. You knew she wouldn't ever purposely be late- her dialysis machine was at your apartment, and she knew every bit as well as you that Eli couldn't be left at home alone. 

 _Fucking Christ, though. I thought this school was supposed to be close to home._ Again, snatched away from your thoughts, you found yourself bobbing and weaving through a series of monsters- were they all dogs?- somehow managing not to lose speed as you zoomed along the sidewalk. A couple of them barked at you, and one looked like it might want to give pursuit, but it seemed that they were preoccupied with petting one another, so you were left in peace.

It had been interesting seeing monsters return to the world. You had always thought them the stuff of myth, and yet here they were, in all shapes and sizes. You even heard that a nearby bar was run by a man entirely made of fire. Cool stuff.

Public opinions had been mixed. Some people were quite vocal about their distaste for monster-kind, but luckily the current leader was sympathetic to their plight. To begin with, there was the guilt for knowing that your ancestors locked an entire race under a mountain, but it was especially hard when the ambassador was a cute little kid. Who could look at that kid and tell them no when they pleaded for sanctuary?  
  
The means by which monsters were integrated into society was actually pretty interesting, from a legal perspective. You remembered enough from law school to find the whole process fascinating. An old amendment to your country's constitution existed to make sure that all citizens were considered equally under the law. This was originally drafted to prevent segregation among human races, but the thought was that if the monsters were both people and citizens, such legislation would apply to them as well. It was decided that they were technically citizens- technically being a key word. Anyone born within your country's borders were automatically given citizenship, and as Mt. Ebott was was on your country's soil, it was argued that they were indeed citizens. The main issue was whether or not monsters were  _people._ That was the most divisive question. It ended up being decided by the highest court in the land. In a surprisingly unanimous decision, it was determined that monsters were both people and citizens.

And thus, monsters gained equal legal rights quite quickly. Surprisingly quickly. Their King had to step down as king, but the big fluffy guy didn't seem to broken up about it when you saw his televised speech celebrating the decision. He actually seemed almost relieved.  
  
As you tore across an intersection, you narrowly missed getting run down by some rude woman in a volvo. You ignored her honking and kept pedaling.

It was somewhat interesting how personally the whole monster situation had affected you. It wasn't long after they arrived that you became Eli's guardian, and your brother needed to be in special programs where he could get the proper therapy he needed. This made finding a school difficult, but surprisingly, the only school nearby that had such a program was a new school run by monsters. It was supposed to be integrated, and a sort of trial. This meant, in order to encourage attendance, tuition was free to anyone who wanted to attend. The place was a godsend. You fondly remembered the kind goat(?) lady who ran the school. She had been so understanding an helpful. It made you miss your mother somewhat, even if she had never been as gentle as the principal 

Seeing the school, you skidded to a stop, and quickly left your bike in the rack, not having time to lock it up. You weren't too concerned- this was a nice neighborhood, after all. Making your way to the entrance you checked your watch, elated to find you had made it just in time. 

Taking a look at yourself, you were a bit nervous about what kind of impression you'd make. Ratty, black jeans. Stained cowboy boots. Messy hair. Black leather jacket. Worst of all, a t-shirt with the words "ASTRO ZOMBIE" scrawled across it. Somehow, that was the least offensive outfit you had. Unfortunately, you'd been bar-tending at that punk bar for too long before Eli came into your custody, and your entire wardrobe looked like that. Your parents always thought you'd grow out of that "punk phase." Too bad your "phase" lasted longer than they did.

You almost laughed at that thought. Sometimes that kind of morbid humor was all that would allow you to deal with everything. Sighing, you opened the door to walk inside. No matter how you were dressed, it should be fine. What's the worst that could happen?

You almost immediately recanted that thought upon entrance to the gym. You had gotten there just in time, but most of everyone had gotten there before you and were gifted with the opportunity to stare at you with disdain as you took a seat in the back. You had no real intention of speaking, so the attention was not appreciated. A blonde, middle-aged woman who stood at the front of the room gave you the stink-eye.

She almost looked like she wanted to puke before she spoke to you. "Um, hello there, sir. I don't know if you're lost, but this is a PTA meeting." _Oh god, please no._ This was the kind of pretentious garbage you thought you escaped when you dropped out of university.  _Quick mental note- do not tell these people you're a dropout._  

You stared her down with equal distaste. You were a pretty big guy, and were intimidating enough just from that, but you gave her  _the look._ The one you learned from Dad. She shrunk a little bit before you spoke. "Yeah, I know this is a PTA meeting. I am, believe it or not, literate enough to read the signs posted literally everywhere." There was some sniggering coming from the back of the room. Low voice, kind of strange-sounding. "I'm Eli's older brother, and so I'm here to participate."  
  
Apparently the look hadn't been enough to scare her. The name of your brother seemed to somehow ring a bell to her, and she shot you another dirty glare before continuing. "Ah, you're his older brother? Maybe your brother would be a little better behaved if your parents would show at least enough attention to show up themse-"

 **"Our parents are dead."** The room went silent, as you spit the words out with a clinical fury that seemed to press weight on every neck in the room. "I'm his guardian. And if there are any behavior issues, I'd be glad to know, but I'm certain they're probably related to his disorder..."  _Oh, god no. You wanted to make a good impression, please control yourself._ The little voice in your head pleaded with you, but you were too far gone. "...so how about you keep your stupid fucking mouth shut, before you go running it off about complete bullshit to strangers, you rank fucking bitch."

The room went completely still. No one dared move. No one said anything for about thirty seconds. The woman at the front of the room, whose nametag you now spotted (Linda), looked like her brain had just melted. She stared with a gaping open mouth, seemingly unable to comprehend what was just said for a moment. She started to speak, incredulous. "What did you just say-"

"hey. not _tibia_ wet noodle, as funny as this is, but maybe we could move on with the meeting?" It was the same voice that was sniggering in the back earlier. You turned around, and were surprised to see that he was a skeleton. There were actually more monsters here than you had expected-

-wait. Was that a _pun?_ You had to stop yourself from bursting out with laughter. Someone else in the room chuckled and mentioned the first item on the agenda, and the meeting went on as if nothing happened, although Linda didn't say a single word and simply glared at you...as well as the skeleton.

After the meeting ended, you chased down the skeleton. "Hey, man, I just wanted to thank you for back there. My temper got away from me, and things might've gotten further out of hand if you hadn't interrupted where you did." Now that you were up close, you noticed both how short and oddly dressed he was- not that you were in a position to judge anyone for the way they dressed. Blue hoodie, white shirt, black shorts that were long enough to cover just about his entire legs, and slippers.  _Slippers._

"no worries, buddy. linda was way outta line, anyway. i was tryin not to die of laughter in the back when you went off on her. that was pretty cool." His nonchalance was surprising, but it was good to have someone who wasn't giving you a five mile berth every time you walked by. The skeleton looked up at him with a grin that may or may not have been permanent. "it'd be good to have someone else here who isn't willing to put up with linda's shit. i'm too lazy to fight her on most things." He stuck out his hand. Grinning, you grabbed his hand. 

**pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffftttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooootttttttttttttt**

He looked you straight in the eye as the woopie cushion in his hand went off. You were so stunned you almost forgot to laugh. But laugh you did. The skeleton just kept staring at you with his huge grin.

 

"i'm sans. what's your name, buddy?"


	2. The Chapter Where You Bum A Ride From Papyrus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your bike gets stolen so Papyrus drives you home.

Your bike was gone. Your goddamn bike was gone.  _Sunnovabitch._

You punch the tree adjacent to the bike rack in frustration. The familiar feel of force against your discolored knuckles alleviated some of the anger. You could tell you'd cut up your hand a little bit, and reached into your jacket pocket for the light roll of bandages you always kept there. Sans gave you a look you couldn't quite decipher as you wrapped up your hand. "don't worry about the tree, man. his bark is worse than his bite." You had to laugh at that. You grew a little uncomfortable as he continued, however. "you seem a little prepared for that, though, buddy."

You grimaced. Sans seemed nice, but you weren't about to explain how fucked up you were to a skeleton you just met. "Bar I work at is in a rough part of town. Sometimes I have to throw skinheads outta the place." Sans raised a confused eyebrow at the term "skinhead," but seemed to accept your explanation. For the most part. The two of you sat in silence as you bandaged your hand up before Sans spoke up, light in his eyes. "so, how you gettin' home, buddy?" You shrugged, before realization hit, and you started panicking. "Oh my god. Aunt Clara will have to catch the last bus soon, I'll never make it home in time. Fuckfuckfuckfuck, I can't leave Eli alone. He hasn't eaten yet. He might run out of the house. Hell, even if Clara stays, I'll never make it in time to read his bedtime story. Then he won't go to bed, he has school in the morning, this is all my fault, I should have locked the bike up, why am I so fucking stupid, I-"

"hey. buddy. pal. amigo. what story do you read to your brother?"

You were caught off guard for a moment, your breakdown interrupted. "Um. Peekaboo With Fluffy Bunny."

You swore that Sans's smile grew even wider. "heh. i read the same one to my little brother. he's the coolest, so i think he might be able to give you a ride home. we live right around the block." You were a bit confused how someone young enough to need to be read to could drive, but you didn't have any other options, so you decided to trust the diminutive skeleton.

On the way there, you pulled a small package from the inside pocket of your jacket. You pulled one of the thin, white cigarettes out, placed it in your mouth, and fumbled through your pockets for a lighter. Sans was just about staring at you. You cocked an eyebrow as you lit the thing. "What, you want one or somethin'?" Sans shook his head. "nah. it'd just go right through me." You both chuckle. "seriously, though, i'm told those things are poison to humans. why are you even doing that?" You shrug. "Started when I was younger. Poisoning ourselves recreationally is humankind's oldest pastime. They do give you a nice little lightheaded feeling, or least they do when you first start. Told myself I was hard-willed enough to quit on the spot. Turns out addiction doesn't work that way, and now I get irritable if I go too long without one. Try to keep mum about it around the school, though. They already think I'm enough of a miscreant as it is."

Sans shrugged. "humans are weird. but you got it pal, i'll be sure not to cigar _rat_ you out." He winked at you. You could only laugh. "Dude, that was fucking terrible." Sans laughed back. "all the best ones are. by the by, i don't mind, but please watch that mouth of yours around my family." Something about his smile told you this was a very serious request. You nodded. "Nah, I got it, dude. I know how to turn off the cursing on a dime. My baby brother repeats words like a parrot, so I learned a long time ago how to flip the sailor switch, if you will." Sans chuckled.

"you  _swear?_ _"_   You shook your head, unable to hide your grin. "Man, you never turn off, do you? But yeah, man, I promise." Both of you walked the rest of the way in silence, you puffing on your cigarette. It wasn't an awkward silence, however. It was the kind of silence that happens between two people who don't feel the need to cloud the air with small talk.

Arriving at the house, you followed Sans up the steps, having made sure to put out the cigarette long before reaching the house. As the little skeleton unlocked the door, the thing swung inwards as if on it's own, and you were greeted by a rather tall skeleton, about on eye level with you. He seemed simultaneously angry and excited. And loud.

"SANS, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? YOUR SPAGHETTI HAS GROWN COLD, AND IF I DO NOT RECEIVE MY STORY SOON, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW I AM SUPPOSED TO SLEEP-"

The tall skeleton paused for a moment, looking at you. For a moment, you were worried that he didn't like humans. It seems you couldn't have been wrong.

"GREETINGS, LARGE HUMAN! IT SEEMS MY BROTHER HAS ACQUIRED A FRIEND! THIS IS A RARE SIGHT INDEED. SANS! WHY DIDN'T YOU INFORM ME THAT WE WOULD BE HAVING COMPANY?" The larger skeleton looked between you and Sans, his expression quickly shifting between glee and frustration. "but pap, that's what i'm doing now. we have company." The taller skeleton stomped his foot with impatience. "SANS, HAD YOU INFORMED ME EARLIER, I MIGHT HAVE MADE MORE OF MY WORLD-CLASS SPAGHETTI FOR THE HUMAN!" Your mouth watered at the thought of food, but you had to remember why you were here. Eli was waiting for you at home.

You cleared your throat a tad. The tall one looked at you, his eye-sockets almost sparkling. "Hey, man, I need to get home to my little brother, and Sans told me you might be able to give me a lift?"

You were quite certain that you had never seen a sentient creature so happy. "WHY OF COURSE, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD BE THRILLED TO AID YOU IN YOUR TIME OF NEED! IN FACT, LET US LEAVE IMMEDIATELY, SO THAT WE MIGHT-" You heard a cough cut him off. "Papyrus, dear, I do not think you are going anywhere until dinner is finished. Frisk has been-"  
It was then that you caught sight of the school's principal through the door, and she clearly recognized you. Surprise shook through you, and you may or may not have started making some pretty wild assumptions, especially as you saw Sans waltz in and stand next to her, clearly happy just to hear her voice. "Oh, wow, Sans, you never said you were married to Mrs. Dreemurr!"  
  
Time froze. You thought it had been bad when you called out Linda at the PTA. That was nothing. All you saw was a blushing Mrs. Dreemurr looking down, Sans sweating heavily with his eye sockets completely blacked out and Papyrus frozen. Then, as if to break the spell, Papyrus fell on the floor, dying with laughter. As he continued his episode, Mrs. Dreemurr cleared her throat and began to explain. "Please, Toriel is perfectly acceptable. And Sans and I are not in any sort of romantic relationship, we are simply housemates, and take care of our family together. If Papyrus is driving you home, please allow us to finish dinner first. Feel free to make yourself at home while we do so. It is good to see you again, if I may say so. Before you, we had never met anyone so eager to enroll their child at our school."

You nodded, blushing a bit in embarrassment at the faux pas you had made. And of course you were "eager-" the school was free and had the kind of occupational and verbal therapy that Eli would need. As you walked inside and followed them to the dining room, you were surprised to see the Ambassador of Monsters sitting at the table, a grimace on their stoic face as they determinedly chewed on a bit of spaghetti. Sans grinned at you from across the room. "heh, i see you recognize Frisk." he put his hands on the Ambassador's shoulders. "what a champ, am i right? only twelve years old, and they've won the legal battle of the century."

You could only agree. It was hard to try and retain any sort of dignity and not fanboy out on the kid. As you looked closer, you still couldn't tell if they were a boy or girl any better than on the television, but the "they" Sans had used did not go unnoticed, and you decided that it didn't matter. You  _did_ however, have a different question to ask. Looking Frisk dead in the eye, you almost blurted it out unconsciously. "Hey, kid, is there any chance you came up with the legal arguments for the citizenship of monsters yourself? I never saw any advisers when you gave those speeches." Frisk simply nodded. You might've taken note of how quiet they seemed to be when not on the television, but instead you were just floored. The legal nerd you still had locked away in the back of your brain had to be beaten back with everything you had before you made a fool of yourself.

You simply let out an awkward laugh and nodded yourself. "Wow. That's, like, really impressive. Like, really, really impressive. Good work, man, uh, dude, uh, I mean, kid." You wanted to kick yourself. You called everyone, regardless of gender "man" and "dude," but these people didn't know you, it might have been taken as an insult. Instead, you simply watched Toriel try and suppress a light laugh as Frisk simply smiled, pulled out what appeared to be a scrap of paper, wrote on it, then handed it to you.

You almost broke your promise with Sans at that moment. The kid just handed you an autographed picture of themselves, signed "STAY DETERMINED. -Frisk (call me sometime, hot stuff)." When you looked back up at the kid, they were wiggling their eyebrows at you suggestively. Toriel and Sans, if they had been able to hold it in before, seemed unable to do so now, and doubled over on the floor laughing. 

At that moment, Papyrus seemed to have finished his spaghetti, and grabbed you by the wrist, excited and dragging you off to his car. Had the skeleton not been so clearly friendly, or had you not been in shock, you might've been more alarmed.

"HUMAN. PREPARE YOURSELF, FOR YOU SHALL BE TRANSPORTED HOME IN THE MOST EFFICIENT MANNER YOU HAVE EVER WITNESSED. YOU SEE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL BE PROVIDING YOU WITH MY SUPERB DRIVING SKILLS, SO THAT YOU MIGHT RENDEZVOUS WITH YOUR BROTHER. ARE YOU PREPARED FOR FUN? BECAUSE THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU SHALL HAVE IS ACTUALLY RATHER LARGE, I THINK, NYEH HEH HEH."

 Any other time, you'd be having the time of your life with Papyrus. But you were still stunned.

 

_Did a twelve-year old seriously just flirt with you?_


	3. The Chapter Where Papyrus Drives You Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus drives you home, Aunt Clara doesn't react well, and now you're in a bind.

"NYEH HEH HEH"

You quickly concluded that the tall skeleton must have learned to drive recently. His driving was technically safe and by the rules, but every once in awhile, he'd make a turn too sharp, accelerate too fast, or decelerate too fast. In another time, you would have loved riding with him like this, but you actually had to worry about your safety now. Sighing, you looked up at Papyrus, who was apparently having the time of his life. This skeleton  _really_ liked driving. It was nice to see him enjoy himself, but you couldn't personally relate. You never actually learned to drive. Your parents could never afford drivers ed, and they never taught you themselves (your father was too lazy, and your mother was too scared). So, there you were, left without so much as even a licence. 

You almost groaned. Your bike was still gone. Papyrus may have bailed you out this time, but it didn't really take care of your base problems. Looks like your "return to school" fund would have to take another hit so you could buy a new bike. You'd have to hoof it over to the nearest Wal-Mart after you get Eli on the bus, and hope that you could get a decent one below $200-

"HUMAN? YOU HAVE NOT RESPONDED TO MY QUESTION." Papyrus interrupted your train of thought. "Oh, uh sorry, I was lost in thought, Papyrus." The skeleton chuckled. "WELL, AS MUCH AS I AM SURE YOU ARE ENJOYING YOUR JOURNEY WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS, I WILL NEED DIRECTIONS IF WE ARE TO ARRIVE AT YOUR HOME WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME." You nodded. You always had been absolutely terrible giving directions, generally too caught up in conversation or your own thoughts to pay attention to where you were going.

Luckily for you, Papyrus was excellent at prodding you for directions. Despite being kind of a goof, he was actually pretty responsible and on top of things. You could tell why Sans had so much respect for his brother. He really was a really sweet guy, even if he had a bit of an ego.

Something crossed your mind, and you decided to ask out of curiosity. "Hey, Papyrus, I was wondering something." The skeleton perked up, looking over at you with a smile. You quickly made sure to point back to the road, and his head snapped back to position. "So, Frisk is a human, but they're part of your family, right? How did that happen?" Papyrus tilted his head back and forth, a little uncomfortable. "WELL, SOME OF THAT ANSWER WOULD BE A BIT PERSONAL, SO I'LL HAVE TO LEAVE THOSE BITS OUT. BUT AFTER THEY FREED MONSTERS FROM THE UNDERGROUND, THEY SAID THEY HAD NOWHERE ELSE TO GO, SO TORIEL TOOK THEM IN. AT FIRST, WE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH MONEY BETWEEN US, AND SO MY BROTHER AND I MOVED IN WITH TORIEL AND FRISK. WE WERE VERY HAPPY WITH THE ARRANGEMENT, SO WE JUST DECIDED TO STAY THAT WAY." 

You nodded, shifting a bit uncomfortably. Just from context, you could guess why Frisk didn't have anywhere to go. You shuddered a bit as it brought back some bad memories of your own. You almost went into a spiral of anger and self-loathing before you realized something Papyrus had said. "Wait a minute, did you say that Frisk was the one who let you out of the underground?" Papyrus nodded, a thousand-mile long smile on his face. "I never heard about that! I always wondered how they ended up your ambassador. Holy crap, that kid has gotten a lot done for a twelve-year old." Papyrus cackled. "YES, HUMAN. FRISK IS QUITE A GOOD CHILD. YOU MIGHT ASK THEM ABOUT THEIR ADVENTURE SOMETIME. PERHAPS YOU SHALL BE REGALED WITH TALES OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND HOW THEY ACQUIRED THEIR BEST FRIEND!"

You nodded. If you ever got the chance, you'd have to ask about it.

A moment later, you were at your apartment complex. You looked over to Papyrus, unimaginably grateful for his help. "Hey, man, my place isn't all that nice, but feel free to come in for a bit if you want. I cut your guys' dinnertime short, and I'm about to make some dinner myself, so if you're still hungry, you can join us." Papyrus beamed. "OF COURSE, HUMAN, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO GRACE YOUR FAMILY WITH MY PRESENCE." You smiled, enjoying Papyrus's company. 

As you made your way up the stairs to your apartment (one bedroom, one bathroom, and combined kitchen/living room), you felt like you were forgetting something. Shrugging it off, you unlocked your door and walked in.

Just then, you remembered. Aunt Clara. You had forgotten that Aunt Clara was still here.  _Shit._ You were about to turn around and make an excuse to get Papyrus to leave, but it was too late. He had already made his way inside. Aunt Clara, who was sitting in a chair across the room from the door, nearly fainted. "HUMAN, WHAT A LOVELY HOME!"

Clara stood up, a sad fury in her eyes. "I'm done with this. I can't keep helping you anymore." Dread seeped into your bones. "First you go and screw up your own life. Fine. But now you're bringing monsters into the home, not twenty feet from Elijah? Have you lost your mind?" The dread was slowly shifting into rage. Aunt Clara had done so much to help you take care of Eli, but she was an old-school bigot if there ever was one. "I don't know, Clara, have I? I wouldn't have been home in time for you to catch the bus if not for Papyrus over here, so you really owe him some thanks. And by the way, don't you dare judge me for the decisions I made. You're no better. You sit there hooked up to that machine every day-" you pointed to the dialysis machine next to the chair- "because you can't get the transplant you need because you keep smoking and drinking despite what the doctors tell you. So as far as ruining your life goes: hello kettle, I'm pot."

You knew you'd hit a nerve. You knew you shouldn't have said that. With no one to watch Eli on nights that you had to work, your whole life would crumble. 

Clara had tears in her eyes. "Expect a call from CPS in the morning." And with that, she stomped out of the house.

 

You slid down to the floor, wanting to cry. Papyrus looked down at you with a sad look on his face, unsure of what to do. "Sorry about that, Papyrus." Papyrus shook his head. "NO, I AM SORRY. THIS IS MY FAULT, I SHOULD HAVE-" you cut him off. "No. This is not your fault. You helped me out tonight, big time, and I will not let you sit there and feel guilty just for walking in the door. Just for being who you are. Just for being alive." The issue touched a nerve with you, and you were more angry for Papyrus than he was. The skeleton looked unsure of what to say. 

You sighed. "Look, I'll figure something out. In the meantime, do you want to meet Eli before dinner?" Papyrus nodded.

You walked to the bedroom, opening the door. Eli was sitting on the floor in front of the television, playing some of the old video games you had from when you were a kid, not so much as reacting to your entrance. He really loved those things. Some of them he didn't really understand how to play, some of them he just liked turning the game on and off, liking the start-up screens. But today, he was playing Legend of Zelda. The one from the 90's you still kept around. You were never sure to what degree he understood what was going on in the game- he could read, far above his grade level, but as his speech was very limited, you had no idea what his level of comprehension was. Still, that old Zelda game was still his favorite.

You walked over and gave him a hug. "Hey, there Eli. I'm home. It's almost dinnertime, so you better finish up soon." He didn't respond. He rarely did. "Oh, yeah, by the way, this is Papyrus. Can you say hello to my new friend." Papyrus's hands shot up to his cheeks, a red blush appearing on his face as you called him your friend. Eli actually looked over at him. You couldn't hide your surprise as he, smiled, waved, and said "Pap-papwhywus." He could speak, but his articulation was not very good. Papyrus ran over, and picked him up, swinging him around the room. Anyone else, you might have been alarmed, but... well, you could tell Papyrus wasn't even capable of hurting the kid. "HELLO TINY HUMAN, IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU." Eli giggled like a lunatic, and it brought a smile to your face.

You started walking out of the room. "Hey, Papyrus, can you play some games with the kid, while I get dinner ready?" Papyrus nodded, as he set down the kid. As you walked out of the room, you heard him exclaim "THIS GAME HAS PUZZLES!?"

Dinner was simple, just the kind of food you always made. You liked it, and Eli liked it, but you felt bad serving it to Papyrus, as most people didn't like the dish. It was simply macaroni noodles mixed together with a lot of shredded cheese and Italian dressing. It had a really pungent smell, and pretty much everyone else you'd ever met hated it. And yet, Papyrus wolfed it down greedily. Wait, how did the skeleton eat the food to begin with? "HUMAN, THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I HAVE EVER TASTED. I COMMEND YOUR CULINARY EFFORTS! YOU MAY EVEN STAND SECOND TO THE GREAT CHEF PAPYRUS, NYEH HEH HEH!" You could only smile at that. It was good to have someone appreciate your cooking.

However, it didn't seem like Papyrus was quite done yet. "LISTEN....HUMAN, I STILL FEEL BAD ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED EARLIER." You were about to interrupt, but he threw his hand up to silence you. "NO, PLEASE, LET ME FINISH. WHILE YOU WERE FINISHING UP YOUR CULINARY MASTERPIECE, I MADE A COUPLE CALLS HOME." You raised an eyebrow, not sure where this was going. "IF YOU ARE OKAY WITH IT, TORIEL IS WILLING TO WATCH YOUR BROTHER AFTER SCHOOL ON DAYS THAT YOU WORK."

You were floored. You wanted to say no, that you could never as that of them. But you didn't have any other options. You tried to hold back the tears, but they came anyway. You hadn't experienced this much kindness in...well longer than you could remember. You parents had never given it, you friends in uni all stabbed you in the back, the military sure as hell wasn't kind to you, and ever since you got home, it'd just been you and Eli. And as much as you loved your brother, he simply wasn't capable of giving you emotional support. And so, the tears rolled down your cheeks. "T-thank you. Thank you so much." Papyrus stood up, walked over, and gave you a hug. It was the first time you had received one since you were eight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm quite surprised at the positive reactions I'm getting on this. I'll be sure to update when I can, which with spring break around the corner, will be quite a bit.


	4. The Chapter Where Eli Makes a Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chapter Where Eli Makes a Friend

You groaned as you rolled right off your bed and onto the floor. You had barely slept the night before, your racing thoughts keeping you awake through the knight. This was nothing new, however; you had been having serious issues with sleeping for as long as you could remember. It seemed that you were almost programmed for sleep in a different time zone, as you had little difficulty sleeping if you didn't need to fall asleep before five in the morning. Such a schedule had been working for you until relatively recently- you could go to sleep at five, wake up at three, and not have work until eight. All that changed, however, when Eli came into your care. You had to get him up for school, of course, and he was every bit as stubborn about waking up for school as you were as a child.

You groggily stood up, and looked at the bed. You and Eli shared a bed. Not because you couldn't necessarily afford another one, but because Eli had difficulty sleeping alone. Before, he had always slept with you mother. This meant that your father had to sleep on the couch most of the time, but your old man never seemed to mind. You, however, minded quite a bit back then, as you liked sleeping on the couch yourself.

Moving over to the other side of the bed, you shook Eli's shoulder a little bit, taking a look at his face. The kid was so adorable and peaceful when he was asleep, but seeing the two small scars on his face made you a bit sad. Every time he got so much as a scrape, he'd pick at the scab until it scarred over. No one had been able to get him to understand why he shouldn't do that. 

Eli hummed quietly as his eyes flickered open. You ran your hands through his hair, smiling gently, an expression that only Eli ever got to see. "Hey, time for school, you little troublemaker. Go brush your teeth, kiddo." Surprisingly, Eli got up and headed to the bathroom without incident. It looked like he was hopefully going to have one of his good days. It was uplifting to see him using the bathroom and getting ready on his own these days. Until a year ago, he still had to wear diapers, and your mother had to brush his teeth for him. You'd do anything for your brother, but having to wipe a second-grader's butt for him was on the list of things you were glad not to have to do.

Waiting for Eli to finish getting ready, you wandered out to the living room. Papyrus was asleep on the recliner that Aunt Clara normally occupied. You could only smile. The kindly skeleton had decided to stay the night, citing the hour as being a bit too late. After calling home to let his family know, he had been overjoyed to find you about to read  _Peekaboo With Fluffy Bunny_ to Eli, and had joined you two for the reading. Apparently the ending always got to him, because he was tearing up by the end. 

You saw Papyrus stir and wake, apparently responsible enough to wake up on his own at a reasonable hour. "Hey, Papyrus, how was your night?" He looked up at you, a neutral expression on his face. "AH, GOOD MORNING HUMAN. I HAD A BIT OF A STRANGE DREAM." You cocked an eyebrow. This was Sans's brother, right? He should appreciate this. "Was it... _humerus?"_ You saw Papyrus's face quickly twist into a scowl. "HUMAN, THAT WAS TERRIBLE." You laughed. "Oh, come on, you're trying not to smile." His forced scowl cracked a little bit. "THAT IS BECAUSE THAT ONE WAS MARGINALLY BETTER THAN SANS'S OR TORIEL'S TYPICAL MATERIAL." You cocked an eyebrow. It was hard to imagine Toriel telling puns.

Soon after, Eli wandered into the room, his PECS board in hand. The PECS were a little strip of cardboard with Velcro attached to it, and little pictures with words on them. Eli could arrange the pictures to form little sentences, and it was his primary form of communication. The picture sentence spelled out "I. WANT. CEREAL."

You smiled and patted his shoulder. "Yeah, coming right up. Yo, Papyrus, you want any cereal?" The skeleton looked at you quizzically. "I AM SORRY HUMAN, BUT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THAT IS." You shrugged. "I guess you'll just have to try some, then."

Papyrus was apparently a big fan of cereal. You were less so, as you had never quite cared for milk, but it was nice to see someone take so much joy in mundane things- Eli was much the same. Still, you had to wonder- how does a skeleton even eat? Only one way to find out. "Hey, Papyrus, how does a skeleton even eat?" No point mincing words.

Papyrus stopped for a brief moment, considering the question. "AS SURPRISING AS IT MAY BE, THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NOT QUITE SURE. I THINK IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH MAGIC, BUT YOU'D HAVE TO ASK ALPHYS OR SANS. THEY ARE THE ONES TO TYPICALLY KNOW THINGS LIKE THAT. I CAN SAY THAT FOOD IN THE UNDERGROUND WAS DIFFERENT. IT WAS MADE OF MAGIC, SO YOU COULD EAT IT IN A MOMENT." You looked in confusion at the new name. "Alphys? Whossat?" Papyrus looked up triumphantly, holding a fist to his chest, spoon in hand. "DR. ALPHYS WAS THE ROYAL SCIENTIST IN THE UNDERGROUND. SHE AND UNDYNE ARE GOOD FAMILY FRIENDS." You cocked an eye at the other new name. "OH. UNDYNE WAS THE HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD IN THE UNDERGROUND. SHE IS...A BIT INTENSE."  _Oh. A soldier. Might avoid that one._ You tried to hide your apprehension and smiled at him. "Sounds like you have friends in high places."

Papyrus laughed. "WELL, OF COURSE, HUMAN. ANYONE IN A POSITION OF POWER CAN RECOGNIZE MY GREATNESS. AND BESIDES, UNDYNE AND ALPHYS AREN'T EVEN CLOSE TO THE FRIENDS IN THE HIGHEST PLACES. TORIEL AND ASGORE WERE ONCE THE KING AND QUEEN." Your eyes went wide with surprise. You had noticed that the king and Toriel appeared to be goat-people, but he had assumed that it at most meant they were related. "Oh. So that's probably why Toriel and Sans were so embarrassed when I assumed they were together, if Toriel is already married." Papyrus made an expression that was surprisingly complicated. It was somewhere in-between awkward apprehension and amusement. "UM, NO, ASGORE AND TORIEL ARE SEPARATED NOW. FOR...REASONS." His face lightened up as he continued. "BUT NO, THAT IS NOT THE REASON THEY GOT EMBARRASSED. THOSE TWO LIKE EACH OTHER QUITE A LOT. I SHOULD KNOW, I AM AN EXPERT ON LOVE. IT SEEMS THAT THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO DON'T NOTICE IT IS THOSE TWO THEMSELVES." He chuckled in a sort of loving, affectionate way. You could tell that the brothers were close.

It pained you a little bit. You had never been on very good terms with your other brother. George had always been so judgmental and narcissistic, and your relationship with him had crumbled a couple years ago. It didn't matter too much- he was studying in a far off country these days. He didn't need to be a part of your life anymore.

You looked down at your watch, realizing that breakfast had gone on for too long. Standing up you called for Eli. "Hey, little man, go to get your shoes and backpack. Time to catch the bus." Eli dropped his spoon into the remaining milk he had, shaking his arms and hands in a gesture of excitement he frequently made, running down the hall for his things. You were glad that he liked school. You didn't have very good memories of school. 

Eli came back wearing his backpack, and shoes already on. Putting on his shoes by himself was another relatively recent development, helped by the fact that he wore shoes with velcro laces.

You said a friendly hello to the bus driver as Eli boarded the bus, noting the presence of monster children on the bus. You liked that. Integration had been a good thing in your opinion.

Turning back, you walked to Papyrus who had made his way outside the building. "Alright, thanks for everything, man. I feel bad ditching you now, but I gotta get to the store and get myself a new bike." Papyrus beamed as he made a dramatic pose. "OH, SILLY HUMAN. OF COURSE I WILL BE ACCOMPANYING YOU FOR YOUR PURCHASE. HOW ELSE WOULD YOU GET THERE WITH OUT MY DRIVING EXPERTISE?"

* * *

 The school day had been long, but Frisk had enjoyed themselves, as always. They liked learning, and they liked (most) of their classmates. Them and the Monster Kid (turns out they were both considered sixth graders), who preferred just to be called "Kid," had a lot of classes together, so Frisk enjoyed their time at school. However, they were a bit anxious to get the day over with. Toriel had told them that there was a younger child that they were to pick up. Apparently from then on, the kid (Eli, they thought their name was) would be staying at home with them until their guardian could come pick them up. Toriel had also told them that Eli was a little special, and Frisk knew that was a polite way adults said someone had a disability of some sort. Frisk knew that when people thought they couldn't hear that they would ask Toriel if they were "special" because they didn't talk very often.

Frisk sighed. It could get frustrating some times, but they weren't especially bothered by it. Besides, there was no point in feeling down- they'd get to make a new friend!

As they walked around the school, looking for the child (Toriel said she'd make sure to be there to pick them up- they had a signed note from Eli's guardian), they eventually made their way outside. It was there that they saw Billy harassing some younger child. Billy was Frisk's age, but there were sitting there yelling at a kid that couldn't be any older than the second grade. 

"...come on, retard, say something." They were staring down the younger child, who just looked confused by the whole thing. They didn't seem to understand why they couldn't keep going. Billy laughed. "Still playing the quiet game? You're just like that weird monster-lover, aren't you retard?" Billy pushed the child down, hard, and they started crying a little. Frisk had seen enough.

They walked over, standing inbetween Billy and the kid, putting their hand out onto Billy's chest, in a clear command to stop. Billy sneered. "Oh, I guess the retards stick together, huh? Well, maybe you'd like to join the ground club!" Billy took a swing, and frisk ducked, picking up the little kid and moving him out of the way. Seemingly forgetting about the little one, Billy kept at Frisk, taking swing after swing. They all missed. Frisk blew the boy kisses and wiggled their hips suggestively at him inbetween his punches. This seemed to serve only to make him even angrier.

* * *

Shopping with Papyrus had been fun, but you had gotten a call from work not long after getting your bike. Looks like there was a shooting nearby, and the bar would be closed for the night, while the police investigated. You could only shake your head in disappointment. 

You rode again with Papyrus towards the school. The two of you talked about it, and agreed that it might be for the best for you to pick up Eli and take him over to the Dreamurr home to hangout after school, anyway. That way you'd be able to familiarize him with the people and home, such that he wouldn't be confused or scared in the new situation. Habit and routine, more than anything else, were what made life for Eli easier. It's the reason that, despite everything, you wished your parents hadn't driven to the airport that day. Because no matter what they did to you, they were good to Eli, and stability was good for your brother.

You sighed. Hopefully you could create a new normal for him. He had cried for his mother for three days straight when he first noticed that she hadn't been home in a few days. You never had the heart to take him to the funeral.

Shaking the dark thoughts away, you realized that you had tuned Papyrus out at least for a couple blocks, as he went on about his "legendary exploits" in the underground. Most of these exploits seemed to consist of puzzles. You zoned back into his story right as you got to the school, with Papyrus stopping his car right out front, while you went to collect Frisk and Eli. You figured you could just head back with Toriel. Actually, it looked like both of them were already out front-

_What. The. Fuck._

You saw Eli clinging to Frisk's back as they attempted to repel some kid. Fury took over, and Papyrus looked at you with concern. "...HUMAN? I DON'T LIKE THAT LOOK IN YOUR EYE." You muttered a sorry under your breath, and leapt over the side of his convertible, running to your brother and Frisk. You heard the kid running his mouth off at the two as you approached.

"Come on and fight me, retards! You can't even-"

**"Hey."**

* * *

 Billy turned around and looked up at the man, fear in his eyes. "H-Hello?" He used his foot to knock Billy's leg out from under him, and watched as he lightly fell to the ground. Frisk didn't like the look in their eye, or the smile on their face. It reminded them of Sans, in the timeline they didn't like remembering. It also reminded them of someone they tried not to think about anymore.  **"If you ever so much as sneeze the wrong way at either of them again, I will find you. You don't want that, now do you?"**

* * *

 Angry as you were, you knew the limits. You couldn't go too far in hurting him or threatening him. You knew you'd have to speak with their parents when they found out, but you didn't care. _No one_ fucked with your brother. You watched as the kid nodded, hurriedly stood up and ran away. You hadn't had to scare off bullies like that since you and your other brother were Frisk's age. It was a lot simpler when the bullies were your age- you could beat them up, and the law would never intervene.

You looked back to Eli and Frisk, and immediately all the aggression and anger dissipated as you saw fear in Frisk's eyes. You immediately felt bad, but you didn't regret what you did for a moment. You patted their head, tussling their mop of a haircut. "Thank's, Frisk. That's my little brother you were protecting. I'm sorry if I scared you." Frisk's fear abated, and they looked at you with sad eyes that looked far older than they had any right to. They spoke, for the first time since you met them.

"...fighting is bad."

You sighed. The kid was too good for this earth. "I know, kid. I know. That's why I just scared them. Sometimes being nice isn't the best way to avoid people getting hurt." Frisk just stared at you, clearly unconvinced. You sighed yet again. "I'm sorry, Frisk. I-I can do a little better. ...even if I don't think so." The last line was muttered under your breath, as you avoided eye contact.

Frisk's eyes went wide at the last line. It was as if it meant something very personal to them. They came closer, and gave you a hug, whispering in that soft voice of theirs. "...it's okay. I believe in you." This shocked you, and you could only sit there wordlessly until Eli came up, hugging frisk as closely as they could. You smiled at your brother. "Hey, buddy. Looks like you made a friend."

Eli just kept clinging onto the older child before speaking for the second time in two days.

"F-Fwisk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. It's a bit longer. Thanks for reading, everyone.


	5. The Chapter Where You Fight Undyne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go home with Frisk and Papyrus. Undyne is there and thinks you'd make for a good fight. Sans and Frisk notice something isn't quite right with you.

The ride to the Dreamurr household felt a million years longer than it really was. As understanding as Frisk and Papyrus were about your actions, they were clearly also greatly perturbed by them. You felt terrible, both because you were already straining the day-old friendships you had made (the first in years), and that you honestly didn't regret a thing. The contradiction was confusing, irritating, and upsetting. You hoped that you wouldn't do anything else to make them uncomfortable. Or- even worse- to make them hate you. These people were just about saints- you could only imagine that if they ever came to hate you, it would be because you were a terrible person. The last thing you needed was confirmation of that particular notion.

Luckily, you had years of practice at hiding these kind of feelings- making sure that no one noticed the cracks in your tough guy persona, making sure that nobody noticed how close you were at any given moment to completely falling apart. 

You shook your head. You needed to calm yourself before you worried anyone. Papyrus- who was driving much more cautiously now that the children were in the car- hadn't seemed to notice anything wrong. You decided to look back to check on Eli. You winced a little bit, when you saw him. He had his hands firmly placed over his ears, something he only ever did in moments that he felt distressed. You couldn't know for sure, but you guessed that he didn't like the noise of the road and wind, which was far more present in the convertible than a typical car. Frisk was next to them, and the kid was doing a fairly good job keeping him calm. It was a relief. At least, it was a relief until you made eye contact with them. They looked at you with those sad, knowing eyes. Apparently you weren't good enough at hiding your own distress.

Things went mostly fine until you arrived at the stoplight on the corner before the Dreamurr home. There was a bit of traffic, and you were stuck there for a bit. Not too long, but long enough for Eli to start throwing a tantrum. It had been so long since you'd been in a car with your brother that you forgot about this, that he grew...a little upset when the vehicle stopped for too long. 

It started with a small humming, an expression of apprehension. But it only escalated from there, quickly growing into a full blown fit, with Eli screaming, flailing his arms, and kicking in his seat. Papyrus immediately turned back, a look of deep concern on his face. Frisk had a similar expression on. "LITTLE HUMAN, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? ARE YOU IN PAIN?" Eli simply kept screaming. "No. Noooooo. No, no, no. NOOOOOO STOP. NOOOOO STOPS." You sighed. You had to speak loudly for the other two to hear you over your brother. "Don't worry, he's okay. He just, um... he just gets really upset when he gets stuck at a stoplight for too long. He'll be okay again when we get past it."

You wanted to look away. They had to be regretting the decision to help you watch him. The two of you were just a burden on everyone else. You should have never let your failure to be able to take care of your brother become their problem. They couldn't have possibly expected how difficult it could be. They-

-sighed with relief. Both Papyrus and Frisk gave you genuine smiles, as Frisk ran their hands through Eli's hair, trying to comfort him while also dodging his flailing arms. "IS THAT ALL? THAT'S SUCH A RELIEF. I WAS WORRIED HE WAS HURT. I UNDERSTAND HIS FRUSTRATION, HOWEVER. UNDYNE ALSO GROWS QUITE IMPATIENT WHEN SHE'S IN A STOPPED CAR. FORTUNATELY, THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS AN EXCELLENT NAVIGATOR, AND MANAGES TO AVOID MOST STOPS WHEN SHE IS WITH US. FROM NOW ON I'LL HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT FOR THE TINY HUMAN AS WELL!"

You were shocked. They weren't bothered in the slightest. They were just genuinely worried about your brother. You had to work very hard to prevent yourself from tearing up like the night before. Your resolve hardened, then. You were _**determined**_ to never disappoint your new friends again. You hid a slight sniffle before you beamed at Papyrus. "Thanks Papyrus. I'm sorry I forgot to tell you about this. I kind of forgot, it's been a long time since the two of us have been in a car. And you said Undyne has similar problems?"

Papyrus chuckled a bit, looking at the light. "NYEH, HEH, HEH, IT LOOKS LIKE WE CAN BE ON OUR WAY NOW." As the car began moving again, Eli slowly calmed down, Frisk's presence clearly helping to expedite the process. "AND DON'T ASK ME. UNDYNE AND ALPHYS WERE PLANNING ON VISITING TODAY, SO YOU COULD ASK HER YOURSELF!" You winced slightly at that. To begin with, you didn't think it was a good idea to ask her about that. Even more than that, you were hoping to avoid Undyne. From what Papyrus had said, she had been the head of their soldiers. And you weren't comfortable around military figures anymore. 

However, it seemed far too late for any of that. You had already arrived, and Papyrus was pulling up to the driveway. Besides, if they were really as close with this Undyne and Alphys as they said they were, and if they were going to continue babysitting Eli, you'd realistically have to meet them eventually. 

More than anything, though, what worried you was the episode you'd had in the car. You hadn't experienced that kind of intense emotional turmoil in a very long time. It was concerning, at the very least, and you found yourself trying identify the exact problem.

You'd felt off, ever since the confrontation with that little hellspawn that was threatening your brother and Frisk. You recognized the feeling, and a little bit of dread seeped in. It was not a good time for this. It was a good thing you had plenty of practice hiding these sort of feelings. You couldn't make all the dark thoughts disappear, but you could make sure that your mood problems didn't become anyone else's problems. You felt a little bit better than you had when you first got into the car, but there was more to do- hide your insecurities, mask your self-loathing, and don your bluster as disguise.

You stepped out of the car, and helped Eli out, Frisk continuing to give you a look of concern. This kid was really perceptive. Perhaps a little too perceptive. The more you thought about it, the more you noticed that Frisk was wise beyond their years. It was actually a little unsettling.

As the four of you approached the house, you heard a yell from the back yard, "NGAHHH!!" followed by a large crash. Papyrus perked up. "OH, THAT MUST BE UNDYNE!" You had to raise an eyebrow. The four of you walked back around to the back yard where you saw a blue fish (?) woman and a yellow lizard (?) woman talking next to a large...boulder? There was dirt everywhere, as if it had been moved. The lizard woman barely made it through a sentence. "U-Undyne! You c-can't do that! What if you ruin t-their yard! And Toriel said they h-have company coming today!" The fish lady, who you could now deduce as Undyne (and the lizard lady, who you figured was Alphys), laughed. "Don't worry, I didn't mess it up too bad. And if it does get messed up, WE CAN JUST GET ASGORE TO FIX IT!" She continued laughing. "U-Undyne, that's terrible..."

Eli broke up their conversation by laughing. Undyne had been shouting, and shouting always made him laugh. It made it slightly difficult to discipline him or explain when you were angry.

Undyne marched over to you giving you the biggest smile you had ever seen anyone capable of giving. "Hey, Papyrus. Are these those humans?" Papyrus nodded excitedly. "YES, UNDYNE, THESE ARE OUR NEW FRIENDS." You cocked a half smile and put out your hand to shake hers. In retrospect it had been kind of a dick move to assume the sort of things about Undyne that you had. From her behavior thus far, she seemed to be a woman after your own heart-

You were in the air now. Undyne had grabbed your hand, and used it to swing you over her head, intending to slam you on the ground. You broke her grip, and managed to break your landing and roll to your feet, succeeding at minimizing the force of the impact.

You looked at Undyne with cold fury and rage. You were on high-alert, every alarm bell in your head going off-

She was laughing. And smiling. Why was she doing that? Wasn't she trying to hurt you? Your caution slowly devolved into confusion.

She beamed at you. "Hey, that was pretty nice, punk! You think I wouldn't notice those hands of yours? Those off-color knuckles? The calluses? The tiny scars? Those are a warrior's hands if I've ever seen them." She calmed down a bit giving you a more neutral expression. "Sorry if I scared you, but I've never met a human warrior yet. I kind of got a bit excited."

Your face blanched. No, no, no, no, you did not want them to know. Why were these people so good at noticing every little thing you wanted to keep hidden? Papyrus called out, seemingly impressed. "WOWIE, HUMAN! YOU WERE ONE OF THE HUMANS' WARRIORS? YOU MUST BE REALLY STRONG!" You shook your head vehemently, before calming down, and nodding with a defeated sigh.

You noticed Alphys had a weirdly...empathetic expression on her face. Like she knew the shame of having done things you're not proud of. It seemed that no one else understood the implications of you having fought in a war, however. Undyne, actually, seemed really excited about that fact. "REALLY? Human, we should spar! I've never fought a human warrior before! I wanna see what you're made of!" A slightly darker expression took over her face. "I wanna see the power that forced us all underground." You gulped. Apparently some monsters still had a grudge about that.

Still, though, it didn't sound like a bad idea. So long as it was just for fun, you actually enjoyed fighting. Maybe a little too much. And you'd been a little off for awhile- maybe a good tussle with someone would help you feel a little better. You nodded, giving Undyne the biggest, most shit eating grin you had as you corrected your posture. "Alright, sushi bit-" you suddenly noticed that Sans was outside. When did he get there? And why did it look like he was staring holes in your head-

 _...oh._  Right. The cursing. "I mean, alright calamari. Bring it on!" 

Undyne laughed as she summoned what looked like a magical spear. "I like the attitude, punk. Now, let's see if you can face danger head-on!"

* * *

Sans didn't like this human.

Well, that wasn't quite right. Sans liked the human. He liked him a lot, actually. However, he scared him. He scared him a lot. As friendly and good-natured as he seemed, this human was a prime example of the existential threat that humans posed to monsters.

He watched the sparring match between the human and Undyne with a growing sense of dread. Undyne was stronger than the human. Undyne was faster than the human. And yet, the human managed to block an astounding number of Undyne's spears while she was using her green magic, and he managed to dodge virtually all of her attacks at the time his soul wasn't green. Sans walked over to Frisk, and looked down at them.

Frisk was clearly concerned as well. How many repetitions had it taken for them to be able to survive Undyne's onslaught? One could give the human the excuse that the former captain wasn't trying to kill him, but this was Undyne. She didn't even know the meaning of the word restraint, and yet the human was fighting on par with one of monsterkind's greatest warriors. 

Sans had almost forgotten why they'd lost the war. 

However, if it were only that much, this particular scene wouldn't have bothered him all that much. If the humans really wanted to, they could wipe monsters off the face of the planet, and he didn't require this human to remind him of that fact. No, there were two very specific things about this human that scared him to his core.

Firstly, Sans had already CHECKed the human. His position as judge gave him the ability to evaluate people. To know their LOVE and EXP. And there was something wrong with this human. They were broken, broken at their core.

They had EXP. A lot of it. This human had killed before, and not just once. This wasn't too surprising. Even if the others were too naive to figure out what it meant that he had been a soldier, Sans was not. No, it wasn't the EXP that scared Sans. It was their LOVE. Or, rather, their  _lack_ of it. The human was only level three. With that level of EXP, they had no business having that little LOVE. What did that do to a person? To cause that much pain and suffering, but fail to manage to distance themselves from it? To be able to understand and feel what they were inflicting on others?

But that wasn't worst of it. The worst part was that look in their eye. That look that said that he wouldn't surrender. That look that said he wouldn't give in. That look that he had seen too many times before. The look that never left the Frisk's eyes. 

_Determination._

He hadn't met any humans other than Frisk that had it like this. Sure, he didn't hold a candle to the kid, but it was still worrisome. It could always develop. Like they had read his mind, Frisk spoke up. "...should we tell him about it?" Sans looked down in disbelief. "kid, he's an orphan who's been forced into more responsibility than he can handle. we both know that you've messed with the timeline over less, so how about we don't give him the temptation." Sans looked down at the kid. He loved them with all his heart, but they both knew that he'd  _never_ forgive them. "besides, no point in worrying about him resetting." His eyes went black as he stared down at Frisk. "it shouldn't be too long before you get bored and reset, anyway, right?"

Frisk looked at their feet in shame. "I already told you. No more resets."

If they were planning to take this conversation any further, it didn't matter. Both of them saw it. They saw the human wind up, Undyne finally lose her balance, and the human's fist fly right for her stomach. She'd already lost some HP. A hit like that could dust a monster on the spot. Sans moved to stop the human from going any further, but it was too late.

**-1**

_huh._ This human was full of surprises. Frisk spoke up a little, clearly shocked. "I don't understand. How?" Sans chuckled a little bit. "you don't remember the Libarby, kid? it's cruel intentions and a desire to kill that makes attacks against monsters deadly. looks like the guy's a bit like undyne. he's honestly having fun right now. he doesn't have any desire to actually hurt her." Sans laughed a little spitefully. This whole situation was reminding him of the worst of his dreams. And so, he was being crueler to Frisk than they really deserved today. "come on, kid. you don't see the difference between them and chara?" 

Frisk glared up at Sans. They were angry at him. To be fair, he had earned it. That was a forbidden name. Both because of the memories it brought back for Frisk, and also because if Toriel were to ever overhear, they might have to explain that one of her dead children was an evil flower, and that the other was a genocidal demon. He sighed. "...sorry. that was uncalled for."

Frisk turned back to watch the human and Undyne spar, clearly not having forgiven Sans for his comments yet. 

* * *

The two of you kept at it for a good long while. By the time you finished, everyone was outside watching you two spar, and both you and Undyne were exhausted, on the ground, and breathing heavily. Undyne, to her credit, was the first to catch her breath. "Hah, hah, human, you're pretty good." You choked out a laugh. "Hah, yeah, you too." You barely overheard Alphys from the sidelines. "This is just like one of my Japanese anime!"

Alphys and Papyrus made their way over to help the two of you up. Alphys supports Undyne, and you see the two of them sneak a couple kisses. _Man, those two are cute together._ Papyrus looked down at you from above, grinning not-ear to not-ear. "HUMAN! THAT WAS QUITE IMPRESSIVE! YOU SHOULD COME AND JOIN UNDYNE AND I FOR OUR TRAINING SESSIONS! WITH ENOUGH DEDICATION AND HARD WORK, YOU MIGHT EVEN BE AS STRONG AS THE GREAT PAPYRUS ONE DAY!" You laughed a little, but you thought that it might actually be a good idea. You were in a much better mood than you had been prior to the fight. "I...I think I might take you up on that, Papyrus." That seemed to please him.

In a single motion, he swept you up into his arms to carry you back inside, and you were immediately flustered. "Um, Papyrus, I think I might've been fine with just a shoulder to lean on-" he cut you off. "NONSENSE HUMAN! YOUR VALIANT DISPLAY HAS EARNED YOU THE RIGHT TO BE PAMPERED."  _Pampered, huh?_ That was a pretty new concept. Pretty sure that'd never happened before. You decided that you didn't care how embarrassing it was. 

You saw Eli sitting down in Toriel's lap, as she read to him. Or, rather, as she had him read aloud to her. It was a charming scene, and you could only smile at the kindly woman.  _Saints, every one of them._ You actually started to drift off to sleep a little bit, strangely enough, and the last thing you saw before you did was Sans sporting a smile that didn't look all too happy, and Frisk looking on with fear and concern in their eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parents To Avoid- now with plot!
> 
> But yeah. Not all happy fun times on the horizon. I'm a little worried that the tone shift is a bit severe, but that's also intentional.


	6. The Chapter Where You, Sans, And Papyrus Start a Band

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a PTA meeting. It goes about as well as expected. You find that Papyrus is learning the drums, and that Sans can (half-assedly) play the bass.

You had to massage your temple to keep it from bursting.

These PTA meetings were beginning to get completely out of hand. Linda had been entirely unreasonable, and borderline insane over the last couple weeks. She already hated you from the first meeting, and much to your chagrin, it had been her kid that was bullying Eli and Frisk. This had led to some rather...predictable friction. It seems that Sans had far less pacifistic tendencies than Papyrus or Frisk, and said he would have done the same if he weren't too lazy to bother. That said, he was absolutely livid about the entire affair, and you had overheard a hushed conversation between him and Linda. Something about a "bad time."

So, now, you had three groups in the PTA: the rabble-rousers (you and Sans), the establishment (Linda and her friend Helen), and the casualties of war (everybody else). To be fair, that was a bit of hyperbole- the PTA was actually quite effective at getting things done when you and Linda weren't going at it. Normally Sans would be content to sit there quietly and occasionally make wise-cracks, but the ridiculousness of some situations were clearly getting to him, and even he was starting to get more vocal.

That day, the PTA had encountered the perfect storm of a topic: vaccinations. Linda and Helen thought that vaccines should be optional. You, ever the fan of empiricism, were heavily frustrated.

It looked like Sans had noticed that you were about to break, and was taking most of the heat at the moment. His permanent smile didn't look quite so happy at the moment, as the both of you listened to Linda prattle on. "...and it's so easy for  _you_ to say the kids should get vaccinated, Mr. Skeleton. Monsters don't need to get vaccines! Why should our kids be forced to get them if yours aren't?" Sans scratched his skull. "uh, that might be because vaccines prevent deadly disease, linda. monsters don't have contagious illnesses like humans do. so we just don't need them. but humans do. because of the deadly diseases. which are preventable. with the vaccines. i read that you guys managed to eliminate polio that way. y'know, with the vaccines." He was clearly trying to hammer the point home, but the effort was tiring him out. Little beads of sweat formed on his skull.

Linda wasn't convinced however, and Helen took up the cause for her. "But I've read that vaccines can cause autism! I don't want my kid to end up  _autistic!"_

That was it. That was what broke you. You stood up, cold, clinical, calm fury burning in your eyes. Sans caught onto it, and whispered to you. "hey, buddy, calm down, we don't want this to get out of hand. i don't like that look in your eye." You shook your head. "Don't worry, I got this."

You cleared your throat and stared at the two women in silence for a moment. They clearly didn't like the look in your eye, either. "Okay, I think I'm going to have to clear a few things up. Firstly- no. Vaccines do not cause autism. There has only ever been one study that so much as establishes correlation between the two. Funny thing is, though, that the author of that single, solitary study finding that link admitted that he falsified the numbers so that he could publish something more significant." You paused for a moment, continuing the moment Linda opened her mouth, making sure that she didn't get a word in edgewise. "But you know what? Let's ignore that! Let's pretend that what that paper said was true, and that one in 100 children exposed to vaccines will develop autism. You know what percentage of people died from diseases like polio? Thirty percent. Vaccines save lives. Now, if you guys recall, my brother happens to have autism. And the logical implication of your argument, Helen, is that my brother would be better off dead."

You glared at her, and she looked back, looking scandalized. "No, I-I would never, I just-" You didn't let her finish. "Oh, good, then, looks like the issue is settled." You sat down, as you heard the room murmuring in agreement, a smug grin making it's way across your face. Sans patted you on the back. "good job, dude." You laughed. "Old trick I learned when I was in law school." Sans raised an eyebrow. "you were gonna be a lawyer?" You sighed. This was a story you wanted to avoid, but he knew enough that just telling him the basics wouldn't be too much of a problem. "Yeah, but I was paying for it by being in a reserve military unit. We went to war when I was halfway through school, and I got deployed. I got back not too long before I had to start taking care of Eli, and so I haven't been able to go back and finish." Sans nodded. "shoulda guessed you were the educated type, considering how good you  _schooled_ linda." He winked and you laughed. 

Thinking about it, you didn't know much about Sans. He was even more private about his personal life than you were. He had been the one to bring it up, though, so you figured there was no harm in asking. Lord knows it'd be more interesting than paying attention to the meeting. "Whaddabout you, Sans? They have a sort of formal schooling in the Underground?" Sans paused for a second before shrugging. "uh, yeah. i was pretty into science when i was at school at the university we had." You cocked an eyebrow. Scientist, huh? That'd explain why the vaccine thing had struck a nerve. "Really? You ever graduate, or are you a fellow dropout?" Sans considered the question carefully before he answered. "well, uh, that's a good question. i did drop out, but i finished the first four PhDs first, so-" you nearly choked on your spit. "Wait, you're Dr. Sans? What the hell did you manage to get four doctorates in?" He looked to be growing more uncomfortable as the conversation went on, but he answered your questions nonetheless. "uh, it was quantum physics, engineering, relativity, and magic studies." You were amazed. "Huh. I guess you could say that you're a  _bone-a-fide_ expert." The both of you had a hearty chuckle over that one. 

As the meeting ended, the two of you made your way out of the school in a much improved mood, laughing like old friends. Because they had been babysitting Eli the nights you worked (and being a bartender, you only worked nights), your families had grown pretty close. Toriel doted on Eli like he was her own child, and Frisk and Eli were nigh inseparable these days. You had taken to morning training sessions with Undyne and Papyrus, which had you feeling a lot more stable as of late. You had even met the king a few times! He was honestly the nicest guy you had ever met. Undyne swore that he was unbelievably strong, though.

You and Sans had hit it off especially well. Between the two of you having to suffer through PTA meetings together, your shared protectiveness of your brothers, and the love of puns, the guy was practically your best friend at this point. Although, sometimes, it felt almost as if he was almost observing you. Like he was a little afraid of you. It made you worried, but you were too scared to bring it up. You hadn't been this happy in longer than you could remember, and you weren't trying to throw it away.

And so, the two made your walk back to the Dreamurr household as you always did- in silence, aside from your puffing at a cigarette. You liked these walks. The two of you were simply comfortable in each others' presence. If neither of you had anything of worth to say, nothing got said. Today, however, Sans broke the silence. "hey, did i ever tell you that i'm a musician?" You eyes went wide in surprise. "Oh, shit, you too dude?" He chuckled. "yeah, i play the trom _bone._ " You laughed a little awkwardly, clearly a little disappointed. "Oh, uh, good one, dude." 

Sans shook his head, still laughing. "nah, man that wasn't a joke. i originally just picked it up so that i could plague pap's life with incidental music. i ended up enjoying it a lot, though. picked up a bass too, at one point. liked it a lot, you never have to do anything too flashy." You could definitely imagine Sans as a bassist. It suited his personality pretty well. "but you said you played music too?" You nodded. "Yeah, I taught myself guitar and some singing when I was younger. I'm not like, good, or anything, but I was competent enough. Me and some friends from my college days started a punk band up. We were decent enough that I managed to pay rent for a few years playing shows back then. My band-mates kinda turned out to be assholes, but I still miss it a little bit."

Sans looked genuinely surprised at the information. "huh. well that's a bit of a coincidence." You cocked an eyebrow at the diminutive skeleton. "How so?" His grin seemed somehow even bigger than normal. "well, the whole reason i brought anything up was to warn you that it might be a little loud in our house these days- pap's been teaching himself the drums." A huge smile to match Sans's crept across your face. "Oh, really now? Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" 

Sans nodded, clearly liking where this was going. "i think you might want to bring that guitar of yours over one of these days, buddy."


	7. The Chapter Where Someone Asks for a Cigarette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was originally going to be a compilation of shorter scenes, but this scene went on a bit long, and eventually deserved its own chapter. What I was planning will probably be next chapter.

Work had been absolutely brutal that day.

You sighed as you threw on your jacket and walked out after closing. The bar was a dive, and so hours ran all the way until three in the morning, in order to accommodate the alcoholics. This meant that you didn't finish closing and heading home until at least four. However, it was closer to five this particular morning, because of said alcoholics. Three of them had refused to leave after last call, and as always, it fell on you to play the part of the bouncer, since the owner was too cheap to pay for one. It was sorta nice, because it meant you were getting paid a lot more to work there, but...

...on nights like those, it wasn't all that great. You were pretty confident in your ability to fight, especially since you started training with Undyne and Papyrus, but there was still three of them and only one of you. You had put the three of them out on the streets on their asses, but you had a black eye, a busted lip, and would have a nice and nasty welt on you stomach from where one of them had sucker-punched you. Still, wasn't too bad. Your father had given you worse, after all. you winced as you ran your tongue across one of the subtle little chips on your front teeth. Time had smoothed it quite a bit, so it wasn't too noticeable any longer.

Shoving your hands in your pockets, you made your way back around to the bike rack next to the bar to find your bike destroyed. Again. You were too tired to even be angry. The three of them probably took out things on your bike.  _Why is it always my damned bike?_

You'd have been a bit more worried perhaps three months back. Eli needed to be up and getting ready for school in about two hours, and you definitely wouldn't be back in time for that. Luckily, your arrangement with Toriel made it so that it was no longer a concern. Eli simply spent the night when you had to work- Toriel had insisted it was the most sensible solution. That hadn't stopped you from arguing tooth and nail with her about it being too much of an intrusion on them, but she had been even more hard-willed than you. Besides, she had been right- it was most certainly the best solution. You had just been worried about how Eli would deal with the change. It hadn't ever been an issue, though- Toriel was so good with him. You thought it might have been the feeling of her fur on his skin that always managed to calm him down. These days Eli even managed to sleep in a bed all by himself- both at home and at the Dreemur's house. It was really nice, actu-

- _wait._ You squinted as you looked down the street.  _Is that...?_

You sprinted full speed forward, calling to the last person on earth you had expected to see.

"HEY, KING ASGORE! OVER HERE!" 

Asgore looked back in surprise, a mix of mild irritation, happiness, and something else that you couldn't quite identify in his eyes. "Oh, howdy. It is good to see you. Although, I believe I've told you that I am no longer a King, young man."

You nodded as you stopped your run right next to him. "Oh, I gotcha Mr. Dreemur."

He sighed. "Please, Asgore, is fine."

"Sure thing, sir!"

He sighed yet harder. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah, absolutely."

He shook his head, a smile on his lips. "You have been hanging out with Sans too often, young man." 

"Yeah, but you know I'd get a little  _bonely_ without him, ya know?"

Asgore had to laugh at that one. "Yes, you most certainly been hanging out with him  _far_ too often."

Shrugging, you gave yourself a second to catch your breath, and actually get a good look at Asgore. He was a giant of a monster, not that there was any reason he'd be smaller than the last time you saw him, and was dressed in the same humble manner he always did- jeans and a t-shirt. It was a curious choice of clothes for the weather, but you supposed that his fur kept him warm. What you wondered more than that was where exactly he found jeans and t-shirts that actually fit him.

Today, though, there were better questions to ask. "Yo, I just got off work from the bar over there. What're you doing in this part of town out this late? I have a hard time imagining Asgore Dreemur, most wholesome of the wholesome, is out getting a drink at four in the morning." 

Asgore looked around clearly uncomfortable with the question. "I, um, I have had great difficulty sleeping as of late. Nightmares. So on the nights I cannot sleep, I go for a walk. Although, more importantly, are you alright? You appear to be injured."

You nodded, as you pulled out a cigarette. Didn't really answer why he was in such a bad part of town, but you didn't want to pry. "Yeah, I gotcha, man. I've actually had similar problems with sleeping in the past."  _And the present. "_ And, yeah, I got a little roughed up tossing some drunks out of the bar. Don't worry about it. Used to be more of a problem, but Toriel seems to always fix me up good as new when I go to pick up Eli. Gonna get an earful from her, though." You ruffled through your pockets looking for a light for your smoke.

Asgore looked down at your cigarette, and said the last thing on earth you expected to hear from him. "Um, would you mind if I had one of those?" 

You stared up at him absolutely stunned. For a moment, you didn't know what to say, but pretty soon, the appropriate reaction found you. You burst out laughing, harder than you had in years. Of all the jokes you'd ever heard, of all of Toriel's puns, of all Sans's puns, this took the cake as the funniest thing you'd ever heard. Your sides were splitting, and you were on the sidewalk rolling around with laughter, as Asgore looked down, clearly embarrassed. "I am sorry. Is that considered impolite in human culture?"

This only made you laugh harder. It took a little while, but eventually you gained your composure. "No, no, no, actually, it's considered rude to refuse someone when they need one. I'm just surprised. Firstly, I don't know if this thing'll do anything for a monster, secondly, they're terrible even for humans, and lastly, _you're Asgore Fucking Dreamurr._ "

Asgore looked sad, almost ashamed, and cast his eyes downward. "I am sorry, young man, I should not have-"

You held your still unlit cigarette over to him, as you pulled another one out. "I don't recommend the things, but you can have one if you want, and don't you dare feel bad about asking."

Asgore hesitated for a moment, before taking the cigarette from your outstretched hand. "Thank you."

You nodded, as you lit first Asgore's cigarette, and then your own. He started coughing the moment he inhaled any smoke. You chuckled. He shook his head before taking another puff. "These things are absolutely vile." He then took yet another drag.

You nodded your head, but raised an eyebrow at that. "Yeah, they're terrible. If you don't mind me asking, though, why did you even want one?"

Asgore paused, before continuing. "Young man, I have not had anyone to talk about this particular matter over with yet. And perhaps it would be for the best that I did so. But you must understand- you may hate me for what I tell you. And that is fine. But you must swear that you never tell anyone about what I tell you. The results could jeopardize everything we've built for monster-kind here on the surface."

You drew your hands across your lips. "My lips are sealed, Asgore. And I can't imagine hating you, by the by. So tell me, what's wrong big guy?"

Asgore looked troubled, and took a little while to begin. He spoke in a solemn tone as you walked back to the other side of town. "Once upon a time, a human child fell down into the underground. Before Frisk. They befriended my son Asriel, and we adopted them. They became my child every bit as much as Asriel was. One day, they grew sick and died. Asriel, torn with grief, took the human's soul into himself, and their souls combined made them more powerful than you can imagine. It gave them the power to cross the barrier. They went to the village that the human came from, to lay his body to rest. The humans, thinking Asriel had killed the human, attacked him. He didn't resist. Mortally wounded, he made his way back to Toriel and I. I held both my children as they died and turned to dust in my arms."

You were shocked. "Jesus, Asgore, I'm so sorry-"

He held a giant claw up. "Please. Wait for me to finish. Have you never wondered why Toriel hates me so much now?"

You shook your head. "You're divorced. I figured that's just what happens when you break up with someone."

The look of shame on Asgore's face nearly broke your heart. "No. I earned her loathing. After my children died, I broke. In my grief and rage, I declared that any human that ever fell again would be executed on the spot. With their souls, seven human souls, we would be able to escape. We would be able to escape and take revenge on the humans that took our freedom, our hopes, and our dreams from us."

You were starting to see where this was going. You felt empathy turn slowly into sympathy.

Asgore was stone-faced and unreadable at this point. "My declaration gave the people hope, and without hope, we would have all wasted away down there. It was enough. At least until the next human fell. My guardsmen brought them to me, and I killed them on the spot." His next words were barely audible. "They were just but a child. Younger than even Frisk." He paused for a long time before continuing. "I could have crossed the barrier in that moment. With just one soul, I could have crossed. Gone to the humans. Then killed six more. I did not." 

Asgore took another puff from the cigarette. "I...I just couldn't. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to give my people hope. And so long as they believed that eventually enough humans would fall into the Underground, they never stopped hoping. However, this also meant that whenever a human  _did_ fall, I had to kill them. I had no choice, or else hope would all but fly out from the underground."

You looked up at the behemoth of a man, and saw the tears streaming down his cheeks. "I tried to do my duty. Despite all my regrets, I still believe that I did.  _But why did they all have to be children?_  " He wept for a good long time. You didn't say a word. Eventually, he calmed down, and finished his confession. "And so, you have your answers, young man. I have nightmares, because I have the blood of six children on my hands, and I still dream of their faces. And I wanted one of these vile little sticks because I deserve to punish myself somehow, but am too cowardly to do to myself what I truly deserve."

It was too much. You stopped him and just embraced him. you didn't care that it was in the middle of the street. You didn't care if anyone saw the strange sight. "Me too."

Asgore looked at you in confusion. "I do not understand. I cannot imagine you doing anything-"

You grabbed him tighter and it cut him off. "Asgore. I'm not as brave as you. I don't have it in me to repeat the things I did. But you deserve to know a little. Just to know you're not alone." You braced yourself. "I was a soldier. In the war. The human war, from before you came out of the underground. I signed up so I could pay for school, thinking that we were at peace. Well, we stopped being at peace, and I got pulled out of school to go fight.  _I've killed,_ Asgore. I...let's just say I've got a lot more blood on my hands than you do. And so I know. I know how hard it is to forgive yourself. To be honest, I'm not doing any better than you are on that front. But I just wanted you to know, big guy. You're not alone."

And so the two of you stood there, for just a moment, before letting go. Neither of you said another word until you parted. Neither of you needed to. But before you went your separate ways, you had one final exchange. Asgore turned to you and waved.

"Same time tomorrow?"

You nodded. "Yeah. Definitely. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about last chapter being so short and this one taking so long to come out.


	8. Vignette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Series of mini-chapters about the next few passing months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back to updating frequently!
> 
> I'm earnestly surprised at how many hits this little story has gotten. Please continue commenting, I love hearing reactions and feedback! Cause, seriously, knowing what I'm doing wrong OR right is so helpful. This is one of the first things I've ever written.

It had been a long time since you had been able to go out for a drink with anyone.

Eli was an almost 24/7 responsibility, so you just didn't have the luxury of being impaired in any way. However, Frisk had asked if Eli could come for a sleepover. It wasn't as if Eli wasn't staying the night over there a good half the time to begin with, but Frisk was inviting several other children- including that terror Billy, for some reason. You and Sans had a very brief conversation with Billy about what would happen if he didn't play nice. It looked like he got the message.

Regardless, this meant you had a free day. Sans had recommended this bar a friend of his ran. Said it was called "Grillby's." You had invited him and Papyrus to come and grab a few drinks, but they had acted a bit weirdly about your invitation. Ultimately, it was decided that the both of them would stay at home with Toriel to help watch the kids during the sleepover.

Alphys had been out of town for a conference of some sort (she was making waves in the science community), and Papyrus told you that Undyne had been feeling a little lonely. So, you called her up, and she excitedly took you up on the offer.

Having decided to meet up at the bar itself, you made the trek alone, accidentally bumping into someone right outside the bar. Turning around, with an angry look, you locked eyes with a single eye. Seems like it had been Undyne herself you collided with.

"Hey, asshole."

"Wassup, bitch?"

You two stared each other down for a moment, and a couple of passerby looked a bit concerned. That is, at least util the two of you burst out laughing, Undyne clapping you on the back as you made your way into Grillby's. She had a hard time dealing with most humans, you had found, but the two of you got along really well. Papyrus had claimed that the two of you were similar in all the right ways, but you weren't sure if that was quite it. It felt more like you just admired her.

It wasn't long until things grew out of hand.

The whole affair started pretty innocently. Downing a glass of your favorite drink- an irish car bomb- you grinned at Undyne. "Man, I remember back in college. I used to be able to drink all my friends under the table."

Undyne's eye narrowed. "Huh? Was that a challenge? You think you could beat me at anything, shithead?"

You met her eye, grinning devilishly. "No, I was saying I could beat all my friends. But, now that you mention it, I could beat the ever-loving shit out of you in a drinking contest."

Undyne stood up, clearly getting hyped up. "OH, YEAH? WAS THAT A CHALLENGE?"

You stood up, as well. "HELL YEAH, THAT WAS A CHALLENGE! LET'S GO!"

It was about two hours later that Papyrus had to come to pick the both of you up. Grillby had called him, worried about his bar potentially getting destroyed. The both of you had gotten absolutely  _hammered_ , forgot that you were even having a drinking contest, and were up on a table singing at the top of your lungs when Papyrus walked in. You had been monopolizing the jukebox ever since the third shot of tequila, and were surprised to find as much human music on it as you did.

Undyne was surprisingly into it, reading the lyrics off your phone, your arms over each other's shoulders. Your voices mixed together into a raucous harmony of intoxication. " **AND THE PIANO IT SOUNDS LIKE A CARNIVAL, AND THE MICROPHONE SMELLS LIKE A BEER! AND THEY SIT AT THE BAR AND PUT BREAD IN MY JAR, AND SAY MAN WHAT ARE YOU DOIN' HERE!** " 

And that was the story of the time Papyrus had to use his blue magic on the two of you in order to drag you home from the bars. Toriel's lecture had been brutal, but the moment it was over, Undyne whispered to you, "worth it."

* * *

"Oh, you guys are watching anime?"

Alphys had been visiting, and they were watching some show with Frisk and Eli. You hadn't ever seen it before, but the lot of them seemed to be having fun. Alphys, whom you hadn't really spoken much with, seemed surprised. "Y-you k-know what anime is?" 

You had to laugh at that one. "Yeah. I was a huge dork when I was a kid. I used to watch so much of this stuff. I think the last one I ever saw was...ah, dang, what was it? 'Meow, Meow Cute Kissing,' or something?"

Alphy's eyes went wide. "You mean, Mew Mew Kissy Cutie?" 

You nodded, the pieces in your memory finally clicking together. "Oh, yeah, that was the one. I liked it, but man, that second season was terrible, it-"

Alphys cut you off. It was the first time you ever saw her being so assertive. "-ruined her entire character arc, right?"

Grinning, you decided to push this one. "Yeah, exactly. You know what my favorite one was, though? Gurren Lagann. That show  _rocked._ "

Alphys looked at you quizzically. "I've never heard of that one."

Feigning shock, you stood up and crossed your arms. "Oh, no, that must be rectified immediately. When you go home, watch it with Undyne, she'll eat this stuff up. I'll lend you the DVDs."  _Crap._ You wish you hadn't mentioned the DVDs. Someone might find out about your ex-weaboo days.

You never decided whether or not telling Alphys about that show had been a mistake or not. On one hand, both her and Undyne had loved it. You ended up re-watching it with Eli and Frisk (who was enamored with it). On the other hand, every time you sparred with Undyne, you were now subject to shouts of "MY SPEAR IS THE SPEAR THAT WILL PIERCE THE HEAVENS."

* * *

Toriel's cooking lesson had been enforced immediately after the previous night's dinner.

Two nights before, you had shocked the entire household by greedily scarfing down Papyrus's spaghetti. The stuff was delicious to you. To be fair, you standards for food were pretty low, but you just loved the stuff. Best of all, everyone else seemed to barely touch their food, so you could eat to your heart's content. Papyrus, overjoyed at your enthusiasm for his pasta, insisted that you cook dinner the following night.

You didn't know how to make much, but pasta seemed to be the standard fare around the house, so you went with your favorite dish. You went all out on this one, pulling out all the stops. You bought peppers, onions, garlic, and mushrooms, and threw them in a frying pan with oil and butter. Looking at the spice rack, you were overwhelmed with options, so you threw every spice and herb that smelled good onto the frying veggies. You then made a giant pot of macaroni, and made your own, homemade Italian dressing for the meal. Once the noodles and vegetables were done, you threw them into a big old pot, and then mixed in all the Italian salad dressing you made, along with three bags of cheese.

Papyrus had loved it. You let yourself be consoled with that one fact.

Toriel had sat you down for another scolding after that meal. That if you were to be a guardian, or even a healthy human being, you couldn't be feeding yourself and Eli that kind of food. She immediately demanded that you allow her to teach you the basics of cooking.

And so there you were, chopping vegetables for a "proper" pasta dish. Something with pesto and tomatoes. You weren't really sure. Your little daydream cost you, however, and you managed to cut your finger during your reverie. You barely managed to hold back a swear, and brought your finger to your mouth. Toriel looked horrified. "Oh, no! Do not worry, let me see your hand."

You showed her your finger, and she was quickly able to heal the wound with her magic. It was a really useful ability. "Thanks, Toriel. I feel bad, though. You're always patching me up these days."

She smiled that kind smile of hers, and shook her head. "No, no, no. It is no trouble at all." Her smile turned to a frown of concern soon after. "Although... I do worry. You are getting hurt so often, young man. I understand that sometimes it's just because of your work, but sometimes you come home with torn knuckles or a broken hand, and offer no explanation."

You blanched at that. "Oh--oh my god, I'm so sorry, Toriel, I hadn't meant to worry you. If it's a bother at all, I'll just take care of it myself-"

"That is not what I meant, I think you knew it, young man." She looked at you sternly, and you cast your eyes downward. "Now, you're a grown man. You can- no, you  _have to_ make your own decisions. I can't tell you how to live your life." Her eyes softened. "But, you must start placing more value on your well-being. I know you never give yourself enough credit, but you do a wonderful job with Elijah." You had to try not to smirk. She was the only one that ever called him that. "And I know that he loves you very much. So, for his sake- please, take care of yourself. Beyond that, you are our friend. Any of us would hate to see anything bad happen to you." 

You paused at that, thinking for a moment, before locking eyes with Toriel. "I...I think I understand. Thanks, Toriel. I'll try and keep that more in mind."

She smiled that great big, motherly smile at you, before looking back down at the food. "Good. Now, this time, please refrain from throwing half the contents of my spice rack into the frying pan."

* * *

 "...and then she says, 'I'd be a  _momeranian!.'"_

 _"_ Oh my god, that's brutal, she's even worse than Sans!"

You and Asgore let out a bellowing guffaws. A nearby woman stuck her head out her window to yell at you. You simply flipped her the bird, and Asgor called out a meek apology. Locking eyes after the event the both of you shared a small chuckle. 

These late night/early morning walks had become commonplace for the both of you- Asgore knew which nights you had to close, and would just kind of show up. Always by chance, he swore, but you knew better. After that first night, neither of you touched upon your pasts again, but the companionship of someone who knew what horrors you had inflicted and but didn't judge you harshly for it...it was something you both needed.

It had become the same kind of ritual. Asgore shows up, you teased him a bit, and then you both would share a smoke and have a little chat. You had to promise not to tell anyone- lord knows how Toriel would react if she found out about his smoking. You were pretty sure he only smoked with you, but still. You could tell that Asgore had given up on any hopes of reconciliation, but he still valued her opinion.

As you continued down the street, the two of you persisted in telling old stories of the better memories you had. It was much preferable to the kind of thoughts that manifested when alone.

* * *

"huff, huff, do they all need to be so fast?"

"OF COURSE THEY DO, BROTHER, HOW WOULD I EVER SHOW OFF MY AMAZING DRUMMING SKILLS WITHOUT SUCH SPEED?"

"that kind of thinking is a real  _snare_ , bro"

"SANS, THAT WAS FORCED AND YOU KNOW IT"

"sorry, if my jokes are a little  _off-bass."_

"SANS! I WILL CHUCK A STICK AT YOU IF YOU UTTER ANOTHER BAND PUN"

"but bro, you don't even have any sticks. you're just playing with a pair of bones."

"WHY WOULD I BUY STICKS WHEN THESE BONES WORK SO WELL?"

"well, you're just gonna get  _bon_ _e-tired_ swinging those things around."

"SAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNSSSSSSS!"

_n_

Band practice with the bone brothers was going about as well as usual. Meaning barely at all. You spent more time watching scenes like that unfold than you ever did spend playing. Not that you were complaining- you three were doing the whole thing for fun, and you hardly expected to actually play anything for anyone. It was just nice to have an outlet. Especially because the three of you generally played before the PTA meetings. It put you in a much better mood for the damnable things.

Laughing, you shouted over Papyrus for the two of them to cut it out. "Yo, come on guys. We've been at it for awhile now. Why don't we give that last one another go, and then call it quits for the day?"

Sans nodded. "calling it quits is one of my favorite activities."

Papyrus just shook his head. "IF YOU TWO ARE SIMPLY TOO TIRED TO PRACTICE ANY FURTHER, YOU WON'T GET ANY BETTER! OH WELL, THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS ENOUGH TALENT FOR ALL OF US, NYEH HEH HEH."

And with that, The Bonezone (you insisted on the name, after a fit of laughter from both you and Sans), burst into another rendition of an old song you'd written. You'd had to be sneaky about the lyrics- they were rife with curses, but no one could ever tell what you were singing over the din of the band. You'd written the words a long time ago, in a very different place. You were no poet, but they were how you felt so much of the time.

_Waking up to the same old shit_

_I've got half a mind to call it quits_

_And I'm warned that it's all crashing down_

_But I'm married to the same old schtick_

It felt good playing through this old music. You'd been in a place of pain and isolation when you wrote it. You were someplace much better now, but singing the more painful verses was cathartic.

_Feeling down and drinking by yourself_

_just to drown it with the bottom shelf_

_coming up until you fall back down_

_your heart's still broken, but you can't make a sound_

After cleaning up from band practice, you went to get a glass of water. Turning around, you were surprised to find Sans, smiling behind you. "hey buddy."

You swallowed a mouthful of water. "What's up, Sans."

Sans' looked to the side and squinted a little bit, an expression that you were starting to recognize. "uhh, my hearing might be a little better than you think it is. that's some dark stuff you're singing about."

You nodded. "Um, yeah. Do you want me to change them, or something?"

Sans closed his eyes and shook his head. "no, no, they're fine. just, ah, are you okay?"

 _No._ You were better, largely thanks to all the friends you'd made, but you had pretty much never in your life been okay.  _No chance I ever get fixed, though, so no point in worrying him._ "I...I wrote that song a very long time ago. I'm fine."

He gave you a look that you couldn't make heads or tails of. "okay. just know, there's people here that care about you, ya know? you can come to us if you need help." 

You nodded, feeling bad about the lie you were about to tell. "That means a lot. If I ever need it, I'll come talk to you."

Sans stared at you for awhile. "take it from me, buddy. don't let this kind of stuff simmer. at a certain point no one will be able to help you anymore." It seemed almost as if he was saying it as much to himself as he was saying it to you.

You paused for a moment.  _I passed that point a long time ago, didn't I?_

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back to updating frequently!
> 
> I'm earnestly surprised at how many hits this little story has gotten. Please continue commenting, I love hearing reactions and feedback! Cause, seriously, knowing what I'm doing wrong OR right is so helpful. This is one of the first things I've ever written.


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